1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a comfort feature for seat belt retractors, and particularly for dual spool seat belt retractors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Seat belt retractors including separate spools for lap and shoulder belt retractors contained within a common housing are known. An example of such retractor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,683 to Stephenson et al. It has been suggested to provide a comfort mechanism for the shoulder belt retractor of such a dual spool retractor in order to eliminate the amount of tension exerted by its associated rewind spring against the upper torso of the wearer. Devices for automatically disengaging a seat belt comfort mechanism are also known in which the comfort mechanism is disengaged upon opening of the vehicle door. This normally requires location of the retractor adjacent to the door of the vehicle. However, such door actuated disengagement mechanisms have a high degree of complexity and are costly. It would be desirable to provide a device which automatically disengages the comfort mechanism independent of door actuation so that the retractor need not be mounted in close proximity to the door. In addition, it would be desirable to automatically disengage the comfort mechanism to prevent webbing from being caught in the vehicle door.